Planning a Climbing Trip to El Chorro in 2024?
El Chorro is a climbing mecca with near legendary status among crag urchins and yet, Caminito del Rey aside, it remains a sleepy, unassuming little village lost in the contours of the map and overlooked by the majority of travellers. With this guide, we hope to make the logistics of planning a visit to El Chorro a little clearer.
We won’t touch on the climbing itself in this article – we have a separate article for planning your first climbing trip in El Chorro – but this is where you’ll find all of the logistical information to make sure your holiday goes smoothly.
In this article we’ll cover:
Getting There
If you’re planning to fly then Malaga is the closest airport to El Chorro (around an hour’s drive away) and, as stag party central, you’ll find plenty of cheap flights. We flew with BA and their standard baggage allowance was just enough to sustain two people for a week – we had one hold bag full of climbing gear, and managed to squeeze everything else we needed into a second hold bag.
Alternatively, if you fancy a bit of a roadtrip then Murcia is also quite cheap to fly into. This allows you to stop off at Granada on the way and visit the spectacular historic Islamic fortress of Alhambra before resuming your road trip and entering El Chorro from the north – a much more dramatic prospect than approaching from the south.
Getting Around
If you’re not travelling with your own vehicle then we strongly advise you to hire a car. While everything in El Chorro is within hiking distance, a car saves you having to lug gear under the hot sun and means you can make the most of your time on the rock without having to worry about saving energy for the 90-minute slog back to your accommodation at the end of the day.
If you do choose to hire a car, don’t go thinking you’ll need to hire an expensive 4x4. The mountain roads are good, and while you’ll have to drive on quite a few gravel tracks to get to crags and accommodation, it’s nothing most modern cars can’t handle, so go for the smallest car available if you need to keep costs down.
If you’re relying on public transport, El Chorro does have a train station, which is on a direct route from Malaga Maria Zambrono station. Trains are frequent and usually take less than an hour, so you could stay in Malaga if you prefer the convenience of the city. Most accommodation in El Chorro is within hiking distance of the train station but try to avoid walking to it if possible – the mountain roads have lots of tight, blind corners and there are no footpaths. Ask your accommodation to collect you or, failing that, stick your thumb out and hitch a ride. Just beware that the roads are quieter in the mornings and evenings, so you might have to wait a while for someone to stop.
Where to Stay
If you’re planning to stay in Malaga, make sure you’re as close to the train station as possible. By the time you’ve dallied with trains and hiked into and back out of your destination, you’re not going to want to dice with a city centre commute. There are plenty of cheap and cheerful hostels a short walk from the train station – we can personally recommend Feel Hostels Soho Malaga, which is just a 10-minute walk.
Over in El Chorro, the most popular accommodation for climbers is The Olive Branch, and it’s a particularly good location if you’re travelling alone and looking for a climbing partner. It has a really chilled out, communal vibe and it’s easy to meet people over breakfast or while soothing your sore fingers in the pool after a long day on limestone. It’s also very close to Rockabella and Serena – two crags that offer a great introduction to climbing in El Chorro – as well as the more formidable Escalara Arabe. If you’re looking for some tuition, the staff work with local climbing instructors and will be happy to set you up with someone.
We stayed at Casa La Paz which is a great option if you’re looking for somewhere quiet and self-catered. Our twin room included a fridge and a kettle, and they provided us with crockery and cutlery so that we could keep ourselves fed. They also have two caravan pitches for any van-lifers looking for a bit of sanitation. We spent most of our evenings cooling off in the swimming pool and never had to drive for more than 15 minutes to a crag.
Finca La Campana is a good option if you’re a slightly larger group. It has cottages for up to eight people as well as a bunkhouse. They even have their own small climbing wall!
Food and Drink
Most of the accommodation in El Chorro is self-catered. If you’re driving in from Malaga, you’ll drive past a Lidl on the A-357 so it’s worth stocking up on food for the week (if you’re approaching from the north, there’s one in Antequera). We were delighted to find that they even had a small vegan section and plenty of non-alcoholic beers! Definitely think about stocking up on food before you hit the mountain roads – there’s a small corner shop in El Chorro but its opening hours are limited and it stocks a very small selection of items. It’s best to buy bottled water as well. The tap water in Andalusia won’t kill you but it might just ruin your big send day.
The Olive Branch offers an 8€ breakfast every day and you don’t have to be staying there to partake, so you can just wander over and find yourself a climbing partner over breakfast. They also offer exceptionally good evening meals (vegan and vegetarian options available) for 12€ but you need to let them know you’ll be dining with them by 2pm on the day.
In the village of El Chorro itself, there’s a café next to the train station with daytime opening hours that does an exceptional trade in salad and chips – as well as plenty of meat-based dishes. If you wander further into the village towards the Caminito del Rey exit, there’s also a cluster of market stalls selling various street food, including vegan options!
Beware that there is no nightlife in El Chorro. If you fancy a drink, you’re better off commuting to the nearby town of Antequera for the evening, or even staying in Malaga. The former will take about an hour and you’ll need a designated driver.
On the whole, navigating a holiday in El Chorro is pretty easy, especially if you have some experience with adventure holidays and are comfortable with a little bit of independence. Don’t forget to check out our guides for planning your first climbing holiday in El Chorro, and some recommendations for things to do on a rest day.